BIOFACH INDIA and Organic World Congress unite the international organic sector at one venue

When BIOFACH INDIA together with INDIA ORGANIC opens its doors on 9 November, it will transform itself into a central meeting point for organic experts and decision-makers from all over the world: the parallel event, also being held in the India Expo Mart (IEML) halls in Greater Noida near New Delhi, is the 19th IFOAM Organic World Congress under the motto “An Organic World through an Organic India”. The two events are expecting a high-profile visitor: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already confirmed he will be attending. Dr Roland Fleck, CEO of the NürnbergMesse Group, is convinced: “This unique cooperation between both events offers experts from the organic sector an even larger dialogue and trade platform.” And CEO Peter Ottmann went on to add: “With it, we are creating synergy effects and offering the possibility of an even broader exchange.”

The parallel staging of the Organic World Congress makes this year’s BIOFACH INDIA a special highlight in the BIOFACH family. The congress, which is held every three years, is organized by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), which is also patron of the six worldwide BIOFACH fairs in total. “One aim of the congress is to make the international organic sector aware of the enormous potential of organic farming in India”, explains Markus Arbenz, Executive Director of IFOAM – Organics International. „At the same time, at this year’s BIOFACH INDIA, the delegates can obtain a really specific impression of this diversity, but also of the existing challenges facing the Indian sector.” In addition, on site at the event, IFOAM will be summarizing the results of its individual work groups and presenting the updated “Organic 3.0” report.

In-demand business platform during the organic boom

At BIOFACH INDIA, in net exhibition space of around 2,000 m², the organizer NürnbergMesse India and the Indian co-organizer International Competence Center of Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) are ensuring an impressive range of products and services. In addition to the trade fair trends such as the traditional Indian medicine Ayurveda, this year’s BIOFACH INDIA will also be presenting products from Indian agriculture certified by the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS).

The Indian government promoted these systems aimed at quality assurance for local markets as well as biological agriculture in the 2016-17 period for the first time at the equivalent cost of approx. 55 million Euro. The visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also further underlines the growing significance of the organic sector for the Indian economy. “In India, organic products are not just a short-lived trend”, says Sonia Prashar, Managing Director of NürnbergMesse India. “BIOFACH INDIA 2017 and the Organic World Congress take place at a crucial time: the demand for organic food and drinks is increasing as never before. By 2020 the market is expected to grow by up to 25 % annually.”